Posts Tagged "royal"

The arrival of a royal baby, a new prince third in line to the throne, comes in the same year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of his great grandmother’s coronation.

At Buckingham Palace this summer, as part of the opening of the state rooms, an exhibition allows you to step back in time and fully immerse yourself in the experience of the coronation from start to finish.

The palace was at the heart of the celebrations on Coronation Day and the tour begins at the quadrangle, where the carriage procession to Westminster Abbey departed, culminating in the Gold State Coach, carrying The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.

Head back inside and up the grand staircase and begin the tour of the state rooms, learning how individual rooms in the palace were used. The first room you enter, for example, is the Green Drawing Room, where Cecil Beaton took his famous coronation portraits of The Queen, using a backdrop to recreate the inside of Westminster Abbey.

The exhibition, where the atmosphere of the historic day is recreated, takes you from the 18 months of planning through to the ceremony itself. A black and white film projected onto the vast wall shows the months of preparation, alongside replica 1950s TVs which show how the nation prepared and celebrated throughout the country. Other footage in the exhibition includes the coronation itself, plus members of the royal family joining The Queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to face hundreds of thousands of well-wishers following the ceremony. In the Throne Room see family portraits alongside behind the scenes footage of them being taken.

This is the largest exhibition ever mounted about the coronation and on display is an unprecedented array of the dress, jewels, uniform, and robes worn on the day. In the Palace Ballroom see those worn by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen Mother, as well as a two year old Princess Anne and a four year old Prince Charles. In the centre of this magnificent room is the dress and robes worn by Her Majesty The Queen.

The Coronation State Banquets were held at Buckingham Palace in the Ballroom on the evenings of 3 and 4 June 1953 and tables in the State Dining Room have been dressed to evoke this, including the magnificent settings of porcelain, silver-gilt and flowers.

Continue through the rest of the state rooms admiring the incredible décor and learning how the rooms are still used today. Finally enter out on to the terrace where the tour ends; by which point feeling as if you experienced the actual coronation for yourself.

Buckingham Palace has announced the birth of William and Kate’s son at 4.24pm (BST) yesterday. The royal arrival was announced with a doctor’s certificate placed on an easel at the central gates of Buckingham Palace. The notice announced the delivery …

Royal Ascot 2013 opened in customary style yesterday, with the quality of the outfits easily matched by that of the racing. After The Queen’s customary carriage procession the day took a sombre note, with a minute’s silence for renowned …

With the royal baby due this summer all eyes are currently on Kate Middleton’s bump. With just under one month until her expected due date in mid-July, several packages are on offer around London to mark the arrival of this …

If there’s one thing we love about the royals, it’s their clothes. From The Queen’s unending range of hats, to the Duchess of Cambridge’s maternity wear, we’re fascinated by what the other half wear. With the news that Princess Diana’s …

Last year set the bar pretty high for events and attractions in London, but 2013 is shaping up to be just as exciting. Here are some highlights you can’t miss this year. View from the Shard When? From 1 February What? The …

The first official painting of the Duchess of Cambridge will go on show to the public at the National Portrait Gallery from this afternoon. The Duchess was involved in selecting artist Paul Emsley, who won the BP Portrait Award in …

Would you like to meet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge? Madame Tussauds London has just unveiled brand new wax figures of William and Catherine. Catherine’s outfit includes a replica of the famous blue Issa dress she wore when the …

The Crown Jewels have been redisplayed in a beautiful new exhibition at the Tower of London, just in time for the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen. I had a sneak preview at the Tower of London yesterday, before …

I was lucky enough to have a sneak preview of the newly refurbished Kensington Palace, ahead of its opening on Monday. The entrance to the Palace has been transformed. You now enter the building through a new light green loggia, …

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